cardwell c. nuckols, phd cnuckols@elitecorp1.com …...extinction learning is hard-wired high fear...

Cardwell C. Nuckols, PhD

cnuckols@elitecorp1.com

www.cnuckols.com

A code of values and customs that guide social conduct

“Descriptive” morality is a code of conduct held by a particular society or group that determines right and wrong

“Normative” morality is a universal code of moral actions and prohibitions held by rational people

Neurobiology is concerned with “normative” morality which strengthens social cohesion and cooperation GUILT

SHAME

EMBARRASSMENT

GRATITUDE

COMPASSION

FEAR OF NEGATIVE EVALUATION

FAIRNESS AND EQUITY

NO-HARM

“Neuromoral” network for responding to a moral dilemma

Centered in the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex and its connections

Neurobiological evidence indicates the existence of automatic “prosocial” mechanisms for identification with others that is a part of the moral brain

Main neuromoral areas of the brain

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (VMPFC)

Orbitofrontal Prefrontal Cortex (OFC)

Ventrolateral Cortex (VL)

Amygdala

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC)

VMPFC

Attaches moral and emotional value to social events; anticipates future outcome and participates in Theory of Mind (TOM), empathy and attribution of intent (participates in prosocial affiliative or social attachment emotions-guilt, compassion)

OFC/VL

Mediates socially aversive responses, changes responses based upon feedback; inhibits impulses, automatic or amygdalar responses

Amygdala (Anteromedial Temporal Lobes)

Mediates the response to threat and aversive social and moral learning

DLPFC

Can overrule the neuromoral network through application of reasoned analysis of the moral situation

Other areas found active are the insula, anterior cingulate gyrus and temporoparietal junction

VMPFC more activated by “personal” moral dilemmas involving the possibility that direct action could cause another harm; it is automatic

VMPFC involved in inferring the intention of others behavior (TOM)

TOM and empathy are closely related to morality

OFC/VL and neighboring anterior insula and amygdala on right side effects altruistic punishment through sentiments linked to social aversion/exclusion such as anger, indignation, disgust and contempt

DLPFC more activated by “impersonal” moral dilemmas suggesting a dispassionate reasoned or cost-benefit assessment for moral judgments

DSM III “Guilt about surviving while others did not” or “about behaviors required for survival” were symptoms of PTSD

Since then very little attention paid to the lasting impact of moral conflict as psychological trauma

Military culture fosters an intensely moral and ethical code of conduct

Current wars are creating morally questionable and ethically ambiguous situations

EMOTIONS

Experience of self-oriented negative moral emotions such as shame and guilt

GUILT is a painful and motivating cognitive and emotional experience tied to specific acts of transgression of a personal or shared moral code

Reduces the likelihood of participating in risky or illegal behavior

Often results in amends

EMOTIONS

SHAME is a global evaluation of the self along with behavioral tendencies to avoid and withdraw

Results in toxic interpersonal difficulties such as anger and reduced empathy for others

More damaging than guilt

May be a more integral part of moral injury

SHAME is related to the expectation of negative appraisal by important others

Avoidance is not surprising

EMOTIONS

SHAME is visceral

Involves the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system

Shutdown for repair, digestion, elimination and storage of chemistry necessary for engagement

AVOIDANCE

WITHDRAWAL

Mediated by endorphins

SELF-FORGIVENESS

A set of changes where one becomes…

Less likely to avoid stimuli associated with the offense

Reduces motivation toward self-injurious behavior

Increases motivation to act benevolently toward self

So if a soldier feels remorse about behavior, he/she will feel guilt

If blame themselves for personal inadequacy he/she will experience shame

If shame is generalized, internalized as a flaw and is enduring, he/she will experience shame and anxiety about being judged

If this leads to withdrawal then corrective experiences are thwarted

Will see reexperiencing, numbing and withdrawal (avoidance symptoms)

Many service members may mistakenly take the life of a civilian, be directly responsible for the death of an enemy combatant, unexpectedly see dead bodies or see ill or wounded women and children who they are unable to help

Exposure to atrocities is related to reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms

Exposure to atrocities does not appear to be associated with hyperarousal symptoms

Arousal symptoms stem from high sustained fear due to real or perceived threat to life

Exposure to atrocities was only related to reexperiencing and avoidance

Morally injurious experiences are recalled intrusively and a combination of avoidance and emotional numbing may also be present

Killing, regardless of one’s role in the act, is a good indicator of chronic PTSD symptoms

Also correlated with alcohol abuse, anger and relationship problems

Subjective reactions are important

Combat-related guilt (based on acts of commission or omission) is associated with reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms

Combat guilt largely related to reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms but not arousal symptoms

It appears participation in atrocities and killing is chiefly implicated in reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms

Moral injury includes acts of transgression creating dissonance and internal conflict by violating beliefs about right and wrong and one’s sense of personal goodness

How it is reconciled is key

If cannot accommodate or assimilate the event within existing schemas about self and others, guilt will be experienced, as well as, shame and anxiety about the personal consequences (being ridiculed)

Poor integration leads to lingering psychological distress with frequent intrusions and avoidance behaviors which thwarts accommodation

Individuals with moral injury may see themselves as immoral, irredeemable and unreparable and may believe the world is immoral

. . . Exposure to human remains is one of the most consistent predictors of long-term distress.

--McCarroll, Urgane & Fullerton, 1995

1. At what point did you think or believe that you would not live and no longer cared about yourself?

2. Did you lose a friend or member of your unit to injury or death?

3. Were you exposed to dead bodies?

4. Did you feel numbed-out, unmoved, unable to sense loss or the sanctity of life?

. . . Being able to pull the trigger through muscle memory is not the same as being able to reconcile the act afterward.

--Philipps, 2010

Be too careful and you could die…Be too aggressive and you might not be able to live with yourself.

Mistake the foe for a friend, and perhaps die…Mistake a friend for a foe and die inwardly.

--Philipps, 2010

…Many veterans were presenting with difficulties that were not sufficiently addressed in the fear and extinction-based frame that underlies exposure.

Steinkamp, et al., 2011

. . . Clinicians and researchers . . . focus most of their attention on the impact of life-threatening trauma, failing to pay sufficient attention to the impact of events with moral and ethical implications.

--Litz, et al., 2009

…We argue that repeated raw exposure to a memory of an act of transgression without a strategic therapeutic frame for corrective and countervailing attributions, appraisals, and without fostering corrective and forgiveness-promoting experiences outside therapy would be counterproductive at best and potentially harmful.

--Litz, et al. 2009

. . . Creating a strong relationship between veteran and caregiver to gradually let the veteran explore, accept, and forgive those involved in the trauma, including themselves, then forge new trust-building relationships.

--Philipps, 2010

To encourage disclosure, the therapist must portray

Unconditional acceptance

The ability to listen to difficult and morally-conflicted material without revulsion.

--Litz, et al., 2009; Haley, 1974

It does not help to try simply to forget, nor is it helpful to share gruesome details with those who respond with horror or distress.

--Dewey, 2004

. . . Concerns about trust and confidentiality are paramount; and it is the constancy of the “person” of the therapist that enables these patients to confide in another person rather than act on their fears and projections.

--Haley, 1974

Develop a knowledge of the exact nature, conditions, issues, environment, locations of the veteran’s theatre of operation.

I have found vets’ autobiographies about their war experiences the most useful of all readings when it comes to treating war trauma.

--Dewey, 2011 (personal communication with Chris Zaglifa)

Self-harm

Poor self-care

Substance abuse

Recklessness

Self-defeating behaviors

Hopelessness

Self-loathing

Decreased empathy

Preoccupation with internal distress

Remorse

Self-condemning thoughts

--Litz, et al., 2009; Tangney, et al., 2007; Fisher & Exline, 2006

The bright line that divides legitimate and militarily necessary killing from murder means everything to the psychological and spiritual health of marines.

--Jonathan Shay, 2007

Paper presented, 1st Annual Marine Corps COSC Conference

Extinction learning is hard-wired

High fear and conditioning resulting from life-threatening events can be healed if the patient sustains sufficient unreinforced exposure to conditioned cues

Hard-wired to recover from loss

If prevail ourselves of opportunities to reattach and reengage positively, grief will heal naturally

Not hard-wired to recovery from moral injury

Difficult to correct core beliefs about a personal defect or a destructive interpersonal or societal response especially when it leads to withdrawal

Traditional exposure treatment may not work for moral injury because it does not stem from conditioned responses.

Repeated exposure to morally conflictual experiences may be harmful

Cognitive therapy assumes that distorted beliefs about the moral violation are the source of misery

Judgments and beliefs about the transgressions may be accurate and appropriate

Goal of Treatment of Moral Injury REDUCE GUILT AND SHAME TO

MILD REMORSE

MODIFYAMPLIFYING COGNITIONS

RETURN TO SEEING THE GOODNESS OF THE WORLD AND SELF THAT EXISTED PRIOR TO EXPERIENCE

CONNECTION

PREPARATION AND EDUCATION

MODIFIED EXPOSURE COMPONENT

EXAMINATION AND INTEGRATION

DIALOGUE WITH MORAL AUTHORITY

REPARATION AND FORGIVENESS

FOSTERING RECONNECTION

PLAN FOR THE LONG HAUL

CONNECTION

Unconditional acceptance is mandatory This may well be the first time the patient has shared this information.

They may expect to be received with scorn, disgust or disdain (this is at the core of moral injury)

Must model implicitly and explicitly the idea of acceptance

Any discordant expression by the therapist will be experienced as condemnation

Detachment is not therapeutic

PREPARATION AND EDUCATION

Patient needs a model of the plan and needs to accept their role in the implementation and success of the plan

Patient needs to know approaching the psychologically painful material will bring healing and relief and not make matters worse

Patient needs to understand that concealment is understandable but maladaptive

Patient needs to understand this is a collaborative experience

MODIFIED EXPOSURE COMPONENT (Briefer and not necessary if patient can articulate thoughts, appraisals and meanings regarding the event) This is done in real-time (i.e. the current consideration of

an upsetting experience)

Patient may close eyes although it is not necessary This reduces the eye-to-eye contact with therapist

Can also alter the chair arrangement

The goal of the exposure is to foster sustained engagement in the raw aspects of the experience and its aftermath

Extinction of strong affect from repeated exposure is not the primary change agent

MODIFIED EXPOSURE COMPONENT

Focused emotional reliving is a necessary pre-condition to change

Will be unable to reconsider harmful beliefs stemming from deployment unless they “stay with the event” long enough for their beliefs to become articulated and explicitly discussed

This step is done in tandem with the next two steps (EXAMINATION AND INTEGRATION and DIALOGUE WITH A BENEFICIAL MORAL AUTHORITY) where examination of meaning and corrective discourse can take place

EXAMINATION AND INTEGRATION An important step in self-forgiveness, reclaiming a

moral core and a sense of personal worth comes from examining the maladaptive beliefs about self and world

Therapist asks what the event means for service members in terms of how they view themselves and their future

Therapist asks about what caused the transgression and explores themes Maladaptive interpretations such as “this will forever

define me”, severe self-condemnation “I am bad” or “I am worthless”, “I don’t deserve to live” are explored

EXAMINATION AND INTEGRATION

Want patient to not deny but also not to overly accommodate

The goal is a change of worldview so as not to give up what was just and good about the world and the self prior to the event

Allow patient to understand that the state of their mind and conditions of combat created a brain that is not the brain that is here right now

Even if the act was bad it is possible to move on and have a good life

EXAMINATION AND INTEGRATION

It is important for the patient to express remorse and to reach their own conclusions about the event with clinical guidance

Don’t try to relieve guilt as patient needs to feel remorseful as part of recovery

Therapists shouldn’t assume they have enough knowledge or credibility to offer moral judgments about another's experience

DIALOGUE WITH MORAL AUTHORITY In person or empty chair dialogue with a trusted,

benevolent moral figure

This could be a chaplain, a buddy who has had their back, etc. (someone who does not want them to suffer)

Have patient verbalize what they did or saw and how this has affected them and what they believe should happen to them

Also enhance the intensity by having them share remorse and sorrow and what they would like to do to make amends if they could

DIALOGUE WITH MORAL AUTHORITY

Now therapist asks the patient to verbalize what they believe the moral authority would say to them

Want content that is forgiveness oriented (if patient doesn’t bring this up the therapist should interject)

At the end therapist elicits feedback

“What was that like for you?”

“What are you going to take from this?”

“How has this changed the way you view and feel about the event

Similar to 4th and 5th Step work in AA

REPARATION AND FORGIVENESS

Making amends as a vehicle of self-forgiveness and repair

To amend means to change-in this case to change one’s approach to how they live their life

This could involve doing good deeds

Be careful that the idea of making amends is not taken to extremes or that the amend might injure the other

Similar to 8th and 9th Step in AA

FOSTERING RECONNECTION

If the patient is not able to generalize the therapy experiences and reconnect with loved ones gains will be short-lived

Prepare patient for any self-disclosure with loved ones

Foster a dialogue about spirituality if it is consistent with patient’s beliefs

PLAN FOR THE LONG HAUL

Values and goals moving forward

Litz et al (2009)

Failure to assimilate trauma leads to the cascading symptoms of PTSD:

• Avoidance

• Re-experiencing

• Hyperarousal

• Impaired functioning

• Maintenance of negative appraisals, shame, guilt.

The clinician must be able to sort out a possible combat-related incident from those maliciously perpetrated [e.g., a soldier holding his wife down or hitting her due to a nightmare while sleeping may not be considered domestic violence, but a symptom of PTSD].

Everson and Herzog in Families Under Fire [2011].

Young recruits assessed before war experience, during and after return from war

Found PTSD does not appear to be triggered by a traumatic battle experience nor does there appear to be a typical trajectory for PTSD symptoms

Patterns

Vast majority were resilient recovering quickly from mild symptoms or altogether impervious

Herbert, Scientific Am Mind

Patterns (continued) The rest fell into distinct patterns

Group One- No symptoms before deployment or during tour of duty but symptoms spiked after they returned home. Symptoms didn’t appear to follow any specific event but around seven months after returning home symptoms had worsened to a point where PTSD diagnosed

Group Two- About 13% of subjects showed reduced stress levels during deployment. Before deployment had major anxiety and frequent nightmares that eased in the first months of war only to spike again when safely home. This group had history of earlier life traumatic events. Early life trauma predicted PTSD.

A study of 500 veterans many with combat history were found to have a retinoid-related orphan receptor alpha (RORA) gene and one of its variants rs8042149

The variant is a single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP- a change in one of the chemical bases that make up the gene. One gene can have thousands of such variants

RORA has been implicated in ADHD, depression and bipolar disorder and is neuroprotective

RORA detects changes in the biochemical cellular environment and responds to the changes such as stress

Rs8042149 may reduce the capacity of neurons to respond to the biochemical stressors induced by traumatic stress

Theory holds the RORA risk variant (rs8042149) makes neurons less able to mount a defense against the damaging effects of stress on the brain

Mirkin. “Study Links Gene to PTSD Risk”. Brain in the News, September , 2012, pgs. 1-2. or http://goo.gl/ISKpk

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Behavioral Exposure Therapy

Imaginal Exposure

Repeated recounting of traumatic memories

In Vivo Exposure

Confronting trauma related situations

Virtual Reality

Computer simulation

Relaxation Training

Controlled Breathing

Muscle Relaxation

Psychoeducation

Cognitive Restructuring

Safety, trust, power, esteem and intimacy

mTBI increases the risk for developing PTSD

TBI can predate the occurrence of PTSD or be sustained in the course of the event that triggers PTSD or be sustained after PTSD has developed

Does the individual suffer from PTSD?

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) places emphasis on dissociative symptoms-depersonalization, derealization, reduced awareness, emotional numbing and dissociative amnesia

These reactions (ASD) may be associated with the loss of consciousness or concussion rather than the psychological response arising in intense fear and arousal

It is most useful to concentrate on the presence of reexperiencing and hyperarousal symptoms

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT)

Psychoeducation

Anxiety Management

Cognitive Restructuring

Imaginal and in-vivo exposure

Relapse Prevention

PSYCHOEDUCATION

Present patient with information about common symptoms and assess to make sure they understand their particular symptoms

Normalize the trauma reaction

Establish the rationale for treatment while getting patients verbal commitment to proceed

PSYCHOEDUCATION

Strategies for the prevention of future injury

Self-monitoring of symptoms

Awareness of limitations

Contact information

How and when to ask for help

How to participate in treatment

ANXIETY MANAGEMENT (to gain a sense of mastery over fear and reduce arousal levels)

Breathing Retraining

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Mindfulness/Centering Prayer

Self-talk Management

Discernment

Grounding

COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING (belief that maladaptive appraisals underlie PTSD symptoms) “My life is destroyed”

“Why did I live and my best friend died?”

“I should have seen the bomb”

“It is all my fault”

ID and evaluate the evidence for negative automatic thoughts

Help evaluate beliefs about the trauma-the self, the world and the future

COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING

Helps patient accept the reality they did not encode some information during periods of impaired consciousness

Some may experience guilt, anger or fear because of the way they interpret events that occurred during loss of consciousness

Help them use available information to not catastrophize the event

IMAGINAL AND IN-VIVO EXPOSURE (Behavioral Exposure)

Centerpiece of therapy

Vividly imagine the traumatic episode for prolonged periods VERBALLY

IN WRITTEN FORM

VIRTUAL REALITY

Develop a coherent narrative

IMAGINAL AND IN-VIVO EXPOSURE Exposure-based therapy is based on the premise that extinction learning occurs when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented in the absence of an aversive outcome, thereby facilitating new learning that the stimulus is no longer signaling threat

In-vivo like treating panic with graded exposure or behavioral desensitization

RELAPSE PREVENTION

Helping patient deal with residual symptoms as treatment should significantly diminish symptoms but will not make all of them go completely away

Example-nightmares and insomnia

Develop plans for maintaining abstinence if alcohol and drugs are a problem

Develop plans to manage Eating Disorders, gambling and other process addictions

On-going personal maintenance plan

MECHANISMS OF ACTION FEAR CONDITIONING-A traumatic event

(unconditioned stimulus) leads to a fear reaction (unconditioned response) which becomes conditioned to many stimuli associated with the traumatic event

According to this model successful recovery from trauma involves extinction learning in which repeated exposure to trauma reminders or memories result in new learning that these reminders do not signal threat

CBT is a form of extinction learning in which conditioned fear responses are inhibited by new learning of safe associations

MALFUNCTIONING OF THE VENTROMEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (vmPFC) IS THOUGHT TO INCREASE VULNERABILITY BECAUSE IT MODULATES THE AMYGDALA, A DRIVER OF FEAR AND ANXIETY

NORMALLY EXTINCTION REPLACES A FEAR RESPONSE WHEN A NEUTRAL RESPONSE IS LEARNED BY THE HIPPOCAMPUS AND THE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX

THE vmPFC IS BELIEVED TO SERVE AS THE CRITICAL LINK BETWEEN THE DORSOLATERAL PFC AND THE AMYGDALA ALLOWING EXTINCTION LEARNING TO QUIET THE AYGDALA

SYMPTOMS SUCH AS DISTURBED SLEEP AND INCREASED VIGILANCE ARE EXPECTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER A TRAUMATIC EVENT

PTSD DEVELOPES WEEKS, MONTHS AND YEARS LATER IN ABOUT 20% OF TRAUMA VICTIMS

EXTINCTION CAN OCCUR VIA REPEATED EXPOSURE TO A PARTICULAR TRAUMA-RELATED MEMORY OR CUE

THE FEAR RESPONSE IS REPLACED BY A NEUTRAL RESPONSE. PTSD CAN BE CONSIDERED A FAILURE OF EXTINCTION

EVIDENCE SUGGESTS A DYSFUNCTIONAL CIRCUIT MAKES EXTINCTION HARDER TO ACHIEVE

KEY BRAIN HUBS FOR FEAR ARE THE AMYGDALA AND A GALAXY OF ADJACENT CELLS CALLED THE BED NUCLEUS OF THE STRIA TERMINALIS

THESE TWO AREAS DRIVE VIRTUALLY ALL SYMPTOMS OF FEAR INCLUDING RACING HEART,INCREASED SWEATING, FREEZING AND EXAGGERATED STARTLE RESPONSE

IF AMYGDALA IS THE ENGINE OF FEAR, SOMETHING SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TURNING IT OFF

GREG QUIRK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO SHOWED A TINY AREA IN THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX OF RODENTS CALLED THE INFRALIMBIC REGION IS CENTRAL TO FEAR EXTINCTION

ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA INCREASES DURING EXTINCTION SERVING AS A BRAKE ON THE AMYGDALA WHILE BLOCKING THE INFRALIMBIC REGION IMPAIRS EXTINCTION

IN PTSD, NEUROIMAGING SHOWS REDUCED ACTIVITY IN vmPFC WHICH IS COMPARABLE TO THE RAT’S INFRALIMBIC REGION

THE PATIENTS ALSO HAD SMALLER vmPFC RELATIVE TO TRAUMA –EXPOSED CONTROLS

EXTINCTION INVOLVES INCREASE IN vmPFC ACTIVITY AND REDUCED FIRING OF PFC

IN COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY IMAGING SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS FOR ASSESSING CONTEXT AND THE DORSOLATERAL PFC FOR LEARNING TO TOLERATE AND OVERCOME FEAR

THE DORSOLATERAL PFC DOESN’T DIRECTLY CONNECT TO THE AMYGDALA

THE vmPFC IS THOUGHT TO BE THE CRITICAL LINK BETWEEN THE DORSOLATERAL PFC AND AMYGDALA ALLOWING COGNITIVE TREATMENT TO PRODUCE NEW LEARNING AND RECOVERY

INSEL, THOMAS. “FAULTY CIRCUITS”. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. APRIL 2010, PPGS 44-51.

MECHANISMS OF ACTION COGNITIVE MODEL-Posits that PTSD responses are influenced

by:

1. Maladaptive appraisals of the trauma and aftermath-Places considerable emphasis on how people appraise the event, response to the event and the likelihood of future harm (i.e. catastrophic appraisal increases PTSD)

2. Disturbances in autobiographical memory involving impaired retrieval and strong associative memory-Mental representations are encoded at the time of trauma under conditions of extreme stress and are often coded in fragmented ways. Because of this memories are not adequately integrated into autobiographical memory. This contributes to intrusive thoughts. It is felt these memories need to be integrated into normal autobiographical memory (this is what the narrative does) permitting mastery of the memory and associated anxiety (this is what the exposure accomplishes)

SSRI’s fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil)

Allows for more time to think before acting particularly in anger

It doesn’t sedate or cut a person off from themselves or the world

Useless as drugs for overdose

Buspirone (Buspar)

Anti-anxiety drug that works differently from benzodiazepines.

Beta-blockers like propranolol (Inderal), nadolol (Corgard) and atenolol (Tenormin)

Breaks the mind-body-mind vicious cycle in rage reactions

Low dose lithium

To help maintain control when angry

Can be fatal in large overdoses

Clonidine (Catapres) works well on many PTSD symptoms but only for about a week

http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/ptsd.html

Variants of trauma-focused therapy

EMDR (has elements of exposure and cognitive restructuring)

Focus attention on traumatic memory while tracking the therapist’s finger as it is moved across the visual field

Restructuring of memory

Patient identifies more adaptive or positive thoughts as again the therapist moves finger across visual field

Variants of trauma-focused therapy

CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy)

Reframing unrealistic beliefs about safety, trust, control, esteem and intimacy

Engages traumatic memories by having patient write detailed accounts of the trauma

One controlled study with mTBI related PTSD

Patients with ASD following mTBI

5 (1.5 hr.) weekly individual sessions

With either CBT or supportive counseling

At 6 mo. 8% of CBT group=PTSD while 58% of supportive counseling group=PTSD

FOR REFERENCE

VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Concussion/mTBI

TWO CATEGORIES OF FORCE

CONTACT OR IMPACT FORCE

INERTIAL FORCES (ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION)

CONTACT OR IMPACT FORCE

Certain brain areas more susceptible

Anterior temporal poles

Lateral and inferior temporal cortices

Orbitofrontal cortices

Brain Gabrielle Gifford's

INERTIAL FORCES (SHEAR, TENSIL AND COMPRESSION)

Causes diffuse injury due to tissue tears and intracerebral hematomas

White matter (diffuse axonal injury (DAI) or diffuse traumatic injury (TAI)

Corpus callosum

Rostral brainstem

When neurons are injured they release neurotransmitters (especially glutamate which is exitotoxic)

This leads to secondary injury (the hippocampus is very sensitive)

Hypoxia

Ischemia

Each brain injury is different although certain features are commonly seen

THREE MAJOR FRONTAL-SUBSORTICAL CIRCUITS INVOLVED IN COGNITION AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Dorsolateral Prefrontal Circuit modulates executive

function

Orbitofrontal Cortical Circuit plays a role in intuitive social behavior, self-monitoring and self-correction in social situations

Anterior Cingulate Circuit modulates motivated and reward-related behavior

Also the Medial Temporal Area play a role in episodic memory and new learning, as well as, smooth integration of emotional memory with current experience

Severity based upon:

LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Less than 30 minutes-MILD (80%)

Between 30 – 60 minutes-MODERATE (10%)

More than 60 minutes-SEVERE (10%)

ABNORMAL RESULTS ON A BRAIN SCAN SUCH AS AN MRI OR CT

LENGTH OF TIME UNTIL ABLE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

DURATION OF CONFUSION

BRUISES

SWELLING

SNAPPED NERVE FIBERS

BROKEN BLOOD VESSELS

Vets describe them as a flash and not heard. Hearing is gone awhile. They re-call feeling the shock wave and feeling the sand and dirt debris, seeing a cloud of dust, getting thrown, and smelling the cordite. There is a rush of fear as now the expectation is being ambushed. There is a brief sense of relief that one was not killed and then the training kicks in and you go on auto pilot and swing into a defensive action sometimes not even seeing the wounded. Others see the dead and badly injured and tend to them until they are medevac'd out. (personal communication with Chris Zaglifa)

FATIGUE IT IS NORMAL TO FEEL TIRED AFTER

HEAD TRAUMA

IT WILL EXAGGERATE EVERY OTHER SYMPTOM

CHANGES IN COGNITION

Frontal Executive Functions

Attention

Short-term Memory and Learning

Speed of Information Processing

Speech and Language Functions

CHANGES IN PERSONALITY

Alterations in Emotional and Behavioral Regulation

ALTERATIONS IN EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL REGULATION

IMPULSIVITY

May manifest as verbal utterances, snap decisions and poor judgment flowing from the failure to fully consider the implications of a given action

Concept of stimulus boundedness where the individual attaches exaggerated salience to a cue without regard to context

IRRITABILITY

Irritable or more easily angered

Response is characteristically out of proportion to the precipitating stimulus

ALTERATIONS IN EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL REGULATION (continued)

AFFECTIVE INSTABILITY

Exaggerated displays of emotion with paroxysmal onset, brief duration and subsequent remorse

Sometimes called affective incontinence

APATHY

May be interpreted as laziness or depression and may be linked to aggression when attempts are made to engage the individual

Can occur with injury to the circuitry of “reward”

LACK OF AWARENESS OF DEFICITS

Pupillary Asymmetry

Seizures

Repeated vomiting

Double vision

Worsening headache

Slurred speech

Weakness or numbness in arms/legs

Confusion and irritability

INSOMNIA

Consider using the program called Conquering Insomnia which can be found at CBT for INSOMNIA.com

Evidence-based program developed by DR. Greg Jacob at Harvard Medical School and funded by a NIH grant

In a study conducted at Harvard was found to be more effective than Ambien

INSOMNIA

5 session interactive program

SESSION 1: BASIC FACTS ABOUT SLEEP

SESSION 2: SLEEP SCHEDULING AND STIMULUS CONTROL

SESSION 3: COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING AND SLEEP MEDICATION TAPERING TECHNIQUES

SESSION 4: DAYTIME RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

SESSION 5: BEDTIME RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

INSOMNIA

The journal SLEEP demonstrated online CBT program for insomnia effective for improving sleep in 80% of patients

The interactive version in a study by NIH showed it was comparable to the results garnered from face-to-face CBT

Wake time after sleep onset was reduced from over an hour to less than 30 minutes per night

Sleep onset latency decreased from over 30 minutes to less that 20 minutes per night

Total sleep time increased about an hour

INSOMNIA

PHARMACOTHERAPY

Melatonin-a metabolite of serotonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland; plays a role in maintenance of sleep-wake cycle (suprachiasmatic nucleus)

Tryptophan-precursor amino acid to serotonin

Antidepressants- Trazodone is a popular choice although not backed by formal clinical studies

INSOMNIA

Nonbenzodiazepine zolpidem (Ambien) and zaleplon (Sonata)

Both 5-10 mg q hs

They act on benzodiazepine receptors but are more selective and less likely to produce cognitive side effects

NOTE: Modafinil (Provigil) has not been found to be superior to placebo in TBI patients

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) Dietary

Avoid caffeine and alcohol.

Limit your intake of fatty foods.

If diarrhea is your main symptom, limit dairy products, fruit, and artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol or xylitol.

Increasing fiber in your diet may help relieve constipation.

Avoiding foods such as beans, cabbage, or uncooked cauliflower or broccoli can help relieve bloating or gas.

Stress Management

Most rapid recovery occurs during the first week in mild TBI

Most patients will be back to normal in a week to a month

If get proper rest and resume activities slowly

If over 40 years old may be slower

Everyone recovers differently

PACE YOURSELF

THE SYMPTOMS OF MILD TBI ARE SIMILAR TO EVERY DAY STRESS Go slow, get plenty of rest and do

not place undue stress on yourself May consider cognitive therapy to help

patient look at how their cognitions are causing them increased stress

Normalize symptoms

Reassurance about positive outcome

Placebo effect

Techniques to manage stress ( sleep education, relaxation techniques while minimizing consumption of alcohol, caffeine or other stimulants)

Information and education for patient and their significant others

Avoid medications that reduce seizure threshold (bupropion or traditional antipsychotics) or those that can cause confusion ( lithium, benzodiazepines, anticholinergic agents)

Before medicating rule out social factors such as abuse, neglect, environmental and family factors

Brain injured patients are more sensitive to side effects

Be careful with any medications that may cause an increase in suicidal ideation

Pharmacotherapy

Amantadine (Symmetrel)-used with Parkinson’s Disease

Used in mild, moderate and severe TBI

Causes the release of dopamine which might help motivation, alertness and attention

Study results suggest amantadine speeds recovery in more severe TBI

Methylphenidate (Ritalin)

Used with moderate to severe TBI

Increases processing speed (time required for brain to take in information and act on it)

Improved attention

Pharmacotherapy

Zolpidem (Ambien)

Generally used to treat insomnia

When prescribed to veterans with severe TBI some showed a very different effect

The drug actually restored their consciousness and for as long as they continued to take the drug they remained awake and alert

TBI: The Injured Brain. Brain in the News. Dana Foundation. October 2011, pgs. 4-6.

Interdisciplinary Team

Speech-Language Pathologist

Occupational therapist

Physical Therapist

Social Worker

Psychologist

Psychiatrist

Music therapist

Progressive Degenerative Disease

History of repetitive brain trauma

Includes symptomatic concussions, as well as, asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head

Triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue

Includes the build-up of a protein called TAU

Begins months, years or even decades after the trauma

Documentation since the 1920’s

At that time generally associated with the sport of boxing

Called “dementia pugilistica”, “the psychopathic deterioration of pugilists” or often referred to as being “punch drunk”

Now considered in any situation-including the military-where head trauma is a common occurrence

SYMPTOMS

Memory loss

Confusion

Impaired judgment

Impulse control problems

Aggression

Depression

Eventually a progressive dementia

THE SYMPTOMS ARE INSIDIOUS

First manifestations are generally deterioration in attention, memory and concentration, as well as, disorientation and confusion and occasionally complaints of headache and dizziness.

With progressive deterioration may see lack of insight, poor judgment, and overt dementia

Severe cases are accompanied by a progressive loss of muscular movements, a staggered, propulsive gait, masked facies, impeded speech, tremors, vertigo and deafness

NEUROBIOLOGICAL FINDINGS

Reduction in brain weight

Frontal lobes

Temporal lobes

Parietal lobes

Less frequently the occipital lobes

Enlargement of the lateral and third ventricles

Thinning of the corpus callosum

Cavum septum pellucidum with fenestrations

Scarring and neuronal loss of the cerebellar tonsils

NEUROBIOLOGICAL FINDINGS With greater severity

Atrophy of the hippocampus

Atrophy of the entorhinal cortex

Atrophy of the amygdala

Neurofibrillary tangles (NFT’s)

Irregular TAU deposits

Tau-positive fibrillar astrocytic tangles found in the white matter

TAU abnormalities suggest core pathology in the amygdalo-hippocampal-septo-hypothalmic-mesencephalic continuum (Papez circuit)

MECHANISMS OF CEREBRAL INJURY Acceleration and deceleration forces

Sagittal (front-to-back) injuries result in relatively good recovery

Lateral (side-to-side) injuries produce the most damage

Pathological tangles of tau protein have been found in the brain tissue of four veterans at autopsy Science. 18 May 2012. Vol. 336,pg.790-91.

SPECIAL THANKS TO CHRIS ZIGLIFA FOR PERMISSION TO USE CERTAIN SLIDES

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Brain Injury Association of America http://www.biausa.org

Brainline.org http://www.brainline.org

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html

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center http://www.dvbic.org